Ripollet Festival
Local festivals in Ripollet
The Festa Major brings together the Sant Esteve patronal cycle, Catalan popular culture, music, sport and events promoted by the Town Council, the Festa Major Commission and local organisations.
Usual celebration
It is usually celebrated over four days at the end of August, from Friday to Monday. Streets and squares, Oriol Martorell park, Espai Brollador, the sports centre, Centre Cultural, CIP Molí d'en Rata and Sant Esteve church host the opening speech, parades, gegants, trabucaires, concerts, the fair, sport, family events and the patron's high mass.
Programme for 2026
The Town Council scheduled the 2026 edition from 28 to 31 August, with about 140 events across some thirty venues. The music bill included Efecto Pasillo, Maruja Limón, Doctor Prats and Al·lèrgiques al Polen, alongside the 33rd Ripollet Rock Festival and popular-culture events organised with the Commission and local associations.
Local public holidays in 2026
The municipal calendar declared Monday 25 May, Segona Pasqua, and Monday 31 August, the Festa Major, as Ripollet's two paid, non-recoverable local public holidays. Only those dates have local employment-law status; the other days in the programme do not become public holidays simply because festivities are taking place.
Origins and usual tradition
This is Ripollet's main festival, rooted in the patronal feast of Sant Esteve, the parish's patron saint. Its high mass preserves that religious tradition, while the modern programme is a town-wide civic celebration with decentralised events and strong participation by local organisations.
Events and traditions
The programme combines an opening speech, concerts, popular culture, fairground rides, performing arts, exhibitions, sport and activities for children and young people. Recurring events include the road race, parades, gegants, trabucaires, the Sant Esteve high mass, Ripollet Rock Festival, sports tournaments and events organised by associations.
Duration of events
The core programme usually lasts four days, from Friday to Monday, although the Town Council may schedule presentations, exhibitions or related events before or afterwards. Individual events range from short sessions to evening concerts and all-day activities.
Local history
The festival combines devotion to Sant Esteve with Catalan popular culture and a contemporary civic programme. Ripollet's municipal heritage inventory records the Festa Major, its giants and other local festive traditions; today this continuity is visible in the high mass, parades and popular-culture groups, alongside concerts, local radio, youth events and quiet periods at the fair.
Places
The festival takes place across Ripollet rather than at a single venue. Recent programmes have used streets and squares, Oriol Martorell park, Espai Brollador, the sports centre, Centre Cultural, CIP Molí d'en Rata, Plaça del Molí and Sant Esteve parish church.
Participants and organisation
The Town Council and Festa Major Commission coordinate the programme with Ripollet's network of associations. Cultural, youth and sports organisations, popular-culture groups, the parish, artists, traders, municipal staff and emergency services all take part, with accessibility measures built into the programme.
Other events and cultural dates
The Ripollet Rock Festival, the popular road race and Mercat de la Vinya are cultural and festive events associated with the Festa Major, each with its own times and arrangements within the annual edition.